Foldable seating assemblage



R. s. WALWQRTH EIAL 2,846,738

Aug. 12, 1958 FOLDABLE SEATING ASSEMBLAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 16, 1954 V INVENTORS BY E336 WM 775.4% 77W MW? M A T T ORNEYJ.

FOLDABLE SEATING ASSEMBLAGE Filed July 16. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AmTU.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent FOLDABLE SEATING ASSEMBLAGE Robert S. Walworth and Norman F. De Namur, Berlin, Wis., assignors to Berlin Chapman Company, Berlin, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application July 16, 1954, Serial No. 443,884

6 Claims. (Cl. 20-1.!26)

The present invention relates generally to improvements in spectator seating assemblages, and relates more particularly to improvements in the construction and operation of bleacher or grandstand seats of the retractable or foldable type most commonly used indoors.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved foldable seating assemblage which is exceedingly simple and durable in construction, free and easy in operation, and highly flexible in its adaptations.

With the several types of folding bleacher structures heretofore proposed for use in gymnasiums, arenas and like public places, considerable difficulty and various objections have been encountered, especially in efforts to provide unitary structures of sufficiently sturdy and durable construction as to accommodate the necessary loads to which they are subjected and which are adapted to be folded or retracted quickly and easily with minimum manpower and without the aid of special equipment into a neat and compact enclosed unit. While these objections and disadvantages have been substantially if not wholly obviated by the bleacher assemblage shown and described in the co-pending U. S. patent application of Franklin P. Ullom, Serial No. 213,321, filed March 1, 1951 and entitled Retractable Bleacher Assemblage, it has been found that the bleachers constructed in accordance with this co-pending application are sometimes subjected to objectionable binding due to warping of the wooden seats and risers, irregularities in floors, or slight inaccuracies in assembly.

It is therefore a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved retractable seating assemblage which obviates all of the above-mentioned objections and disadvantages.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved foldable bleacher assemblage in which the supporting legs of the successive tiers or rows are positioned in parallel alignment extending from the front to the rear of the assemblage and are adapted for movement in common planes to closed position wherein they are stacked in abutting relationship so as to present a simple, symmetrical, uniform, compact and stable construction when either open or retracted.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide an improved retractable tiered bleacher in which the seat supporting uprights are carried by novel groundengaging wheel units permitting independent vertical adjustments in the uprights to compensate for irregularities in floors, inaccuracies in assemblage and the like, thereby minimizing the possibilities of eccentric loading as well as producing uniformity and eliminating binding during opening and closing operations.

Another specific object of our invention is to provide an improved foldable bleacher seating assemblage wherein the seat carrying beams are pivotally secured to their respective uprights and are readily adjustable about their pivots so as to compensate for warping and distortion of parts as well as irregularities and inaccuracies in assernblage and thereby eliminate possible binding during the ICC opening and closing operations while enabling uniform adjustment of all parts to enhance the appearance of the unit.

An additional specific object of our present invention is to provide an improved retractable seating assemblage embodying relatively few parts, most of which are readily interchangeable and which may be quickly and easily assembled or dismantled with a minimum amount of time, labor and special tools.

Still another specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved tiered bleacher unit in which all parts may be readily adjusted to accommodate varying and diverse conditions, which may be completely dismantled and compactly packaged for shipment, and which may furthermore be readily manufactured and assembled without need for maintaining accurate or close tolerances.

These and other specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several features constituting the present improvement, and of the mode of constructing and of utilizing foldable seating assemblages embody- 111g the invention may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the several views.

Fig. l is a side view of the improved seating assemblage with the seats and their carrying members in fully opened or extended position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of one type of adjustable attachment for the seat carrying beams;

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary side view of a somewhat modified type of adjustable mounting for the seat carrying beams;

Fig. 4 is a likewise enlarged fragmentary side view of another modified adjustable attachment for the seat carrying members;

Fig. 5 is also an enlarged fragmentary side view of still another modified type of adjustable seat carrying beam mounting;

Fig. 6 is a somewhat reduced fragmentary and diagrammatic transverse section through the expanded unit taken along the line 66 of Fig. l and showing the staggered roller and scissors guide arrangement;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the bleacher assemblage in fully closed condition;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of one complete tier or seat supporting unit;

Fig. 9 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary front view of the seat supporting structure of Fig. 8 with a portion of the seat and front panel or riser being broken away to reveal the adjustment mechanism; and

Fig. 10 is a further enlarged sectional and top view of one of the wheel or caster units, the section being taken through one of the uprights along the line 1il-10 of Fig. 8.

-While the invention has been shown and described herein as being advantageously applicable to gymnasium bleachers provided with a given number of tiers and adapted for attachment in a particular manner to a wall, it is not intended or desired to unnecessarily limit or restrict the scope or utility thereof by reason of such specific disclosure; and it is furthermore contemplated that certain specific descriptive terms used herein shall be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, the foldable bleacher seat assemblage shown therein as embodying the invention comprises, in general, a series of successive transverse rows of upright supports including a row of stationary rear supports 15, relatively movable rows of intermediate supports 16 of gradually decreasing heights, and a front support 17 of still lesser height; means such as a transverse beam 18 for rigidly interconnecting the lower ends of the upright supports 16 of at least each of the intermediate rows; forwardly presented seat supporting beams 19, 20, 21 carried by each of the upright supports-15, 16, 17 respectively of the rear, intermediate and front rows, the beams 20 of the intermediate rows as well as the beams 21 of the front row being pivotally or swingably associated with their respective supports 16, 17 for enabling independent adjustments in the angularity thereof as will hereinafter more fully appear; ground engaging tandem wheel units 22 for at least each of the intermediate rows of upright supports 16, the wheel units 22 being preferably carried by the transverse beams 18 is staggered relationship to permit full closure of the assemblage and with the rows of uprights 16 being pivotally or swingably associated with the tandem wheel units 22, as will also be hereinafter more fully described, to permit independent adjustments in the angularity of the respective rows of supports 16; and means such as a scissors or lazytongs arrangement 23 for interconnecting the successive rows of supports 15, 16, 17 and guiding the same while permitting relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest row of supports 15.

The rear row or rows of stationary upright supports 15 may be conveniently rigidly attached to a wall 25 or the like by means of an attachment screw or bolt 26 by means of which these uprights 15 may also be angularly adjusted and aligned, and suitable aprons 27 may also be provided at both ends of the rows of uprights 15 and may be attached to the floor in any suitable manner. The uprights 15 may also be provided with suitable bumpers 28 for absorbing shock when the unit is closed, and a seat 29 is suitably secured to the upper end of the uprights 15 and transversely spans the rear row of these uprights. Somewhat below the upper transverse seat 29, the forwardly presented beams 19 are likewise secured in any suitable manner as by welding or the like to each of the uprights 15 of the rear row with a transversely extending seat 33 being suitably secured to the forward end of the beam 19, the front of the seat being enclosed by a riser board 34 or the like, and intermediate the seat 33 and the upright 15, a suitable foot board 35 may be extended transversely of the assemblage and secured to the beams 19. When the bleachers are inactive, the space between the seat 29 and the seat 33 of the rear row of uprights may be suitably enclosed by a cover member 36 pivotally mounted on the front end of the seat 29 to form a riser for the seat when in the position shown in Fig. l and having one or more suitable hinged legs 37 cooperable with the foot board 35 when distended as shown in Fig. 7 to support the cover member 36 in a position closing the opening between the rear seats 29 and 33. Each of the uprights, 15, 16, 17 of the respective rear, intermediate and front rows are also in parallel alignment with each other and lie in common planes extending from front to rear of the bleacher assemblage so that the uprights 16, 17 abut and rest against each other when the assemblage is in closed position as shown in Fig. 7, with the rearmost upright 16 resting directly against the bumpers 28 of the rear row of uprights 15. The lower ends of the uprights 16 may be rigidly attached to their respective beams 18 as by welding or the like, and the upper ends of the uprights 16, 17 may all be provided with suitable inturned fingers 40 or the like, cooperating with the forwardly presented beam of the next succeeding upright of highest order to thereby form a slide, the beams 19, 20 preferably being in the form of I-beams as shown in Fig. 9. In addition to the tandem wheel unit 22, each row of uprights 16 may also be provided with any desired number of caster wheels 41 if necessary to support the load for which the particular bleacher is intended, and the front upright 17 which does not normally require a tandem wheel support may also be provided with a suitable caster 42 with the foremost end of the seat supporting beam of lowest order likewise being provided with a caster wheel 43 to assume the load in opening and closing the assemblage, all of the wheels being adapted for engagement with the gymnasium fioor 44 or the like. Each of the sets of forwardly presented beams 20, 21, is also provided with a transversely extending seat 45, 46 respectively at the free forward ends thereof, the seats extending transversely across the respective rows and each being preferably provided with a front riser 47, 48 respectively to provide a more neat and attractive unit and a substantial enclosure therefor when in closed position as shown in Fig. 7 with the risers 34 of the rear row and 47 of the intermediate rows being preferably sloped outwardly a distance approximately equal to the width of each of the uprights 16 so as to provide a symmetrical and smooth appearance when the unit is fully closed. In addition to the seats and risers, each row of the beams 20, 21 is also provided with a transversely extending foot board 49 located intermediate the ends of the beams and serving as a foot rest for the next succeeding higher seat.

Since the seats 33, 45, 46, risers 34, 47, 43 and foot boards 35, 49 are all norma ly formed of wood, these parts are sometimes subject to wrapping and the distortion caused thereby has been found to cause objectionable binding in the metal parts of the assemblage when no provision is made for compensating therefor; and in the present instance, this distortion and the resultant binding may be obviated by adjusting the angularity of the respective beams 25), 21 relative to their uprights 16, 17. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9, one preferred form of adjusting means consists of a bracket member 50, U-shaped in cross-section, which is rigidly attached to the end of each of the beams 29, 21 as by means of welding or the like, with the arms or side pieces thereof extending on opposite sides of the respective uprights 16, 17 and pivotally attached to the same by means of suitable pivot pins or bolts 51 or the like, the bracket 50 and its seat supporting beam being swingably adjustable about its pivot 51 in each case as by means of upper and lower set screws 52, 53 respectively, both of which are seated against the adjacent upright and coact therewith to vary the angularity of the seat supporting beam, as shown by means of dotted lines in Fig. 2, when the proper adjustment is effected. Referring more particularly to Fig. 3, a somewhat modified adjusting mechanism has been illustrated in which the seat supporting beam 20' is provided with straps 54 rigidly secured to either side thereof and cooperate with a pin or bolt 55 forming a pivot carried by the upright 16', the seat supporting beam being swingable about the pivot 55 by means of upper and lower adjustment nuts or set screws 56, 57 respectively secured to the adjacent upright as by means of brackets or braces 58, 59 respectively. A further modification is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein the seat supporting beam 20" is likewise provided with straps 60 firmly secured to opposite sides thereof and which are pivotally associated with or secured to a rigid projection 61 carried by the adjacent upright 16", the straps being secured to the projection by means of a pivot pin or bolt 62 as in the previous case with the adjustments in angularity of the seat supporting beam being effected by means of a single set screw 63 or the like carried by a rigid fiange 64 extending from the projection 61. The beam attaching means may also be modified as shown in Fig. 5 wherein the upright support 16" is split and forms two separate pieces with the seat supporting beam 20" being rigidly secured as by welding directly to the upper portion of the upright, the upper and lower portions of the uprights 16 being hingedly or pivotally secured to each other by means of straps 65 and a pivot pin or bolt 66 and with set screws 67, 68 being provided at either side of the upright and coacting with flanges 69, 70 thereof respectively to permit adjustments in the angularity of the seat supporting beams.

Likewise to compensate for irregularities in the floor or inaccuracies in assembling the parts as well as to compensate for possible distortion of the parts, each of the intermediate rows of uprights 16 are rendered angularly adjustable with respect to each of the tandem wheel units by reason of the structure hereinafter described. Each tandem wheel unit preferably consists of a pair of ground engaging wheels 72 journalled at opposite ends of a pair of spaced straps 73 secured together in spaced relationship by means of transverse braces 74, 75 as by means of welding or the like to thereby form a cradle-like frame. The rows of intermediate supports 16 are pivotally secured within each cradle or tandem wheel unit by means of a shoe 76 or the like welded to and depending from each of the transverse beams 18 and secured to the straps 23 as by means of a pivot pin 77 or the like, the front end or toe of each shoe being seated within an L-shaped member 78 carried by the straps 73 within the cradle formed thereby, and each of the shoes 76 may be swung about their respective pivots 77 as by means of a set screw 79 carried by the toe thereof and seated upon the horizontal leg of the member 78. As hereinabove indicated, the tandem Wheel units 22 of each of the rows of supports are staggered with respect to the tandem wheel units of the next succeeding front and rear rows as shown in Fig. 6, so as to permit the wheel units to pass each other and permit complete closing of the assemblage as shown in Fig. 7, and in the case of larger bleacher units wherein heavy loads are encountered, the ground engaging support of the several rows may be augmented by the casters 41, 42, 43 which should also preferably be staggered with respect to the casters of each of the adjacent rows as shown in Fig. 6.

To interconnect the successive rows of supports 15, 16, 17 and permit relative movement thereof in common planes toward and away from the highest of said rows while guiding the same and maintaining parallel alignment during such movement it is preferable to provide a scissors or lazytongs arrangement 23 such as shown in Fig. 6 and fully described in the co-pending application of Franklin P. Ullom, Serial No. 213,321 filed March 1, 1951. Such scissors arrangement may consist of a pair of medially pivoted arms 81, 82, each pivotally secured at one end to adjacent beams 18 and slidably associated at the other end with the beams as by means of slots 83, and adjacent rows of supports should be provided with at least one such scissors or lazytong arrangements. Also, a suitable brake should preferably be provided at the front or lowest row to prevent collapse of the assemblage during loading and when in extended condition, and such brake may be conveniently formed by a pair of interconnected levers 84, 85, one of which is pivotally associated with the front riser 48 and the other of which carries a floor engaging element 86 and is pivotally connected to the axle of the caster 42, the front riser 48 being hingedly connected to the front end of the seat 46 to permit swinging thereof and raising of the brake during the folding or retracting operation.

In actual practice, the units may be shipped in knockeddown condition for assembly in the field, and since all parts are obviously readily dismantled, a compact package may be provided for shipment. To assemble the unit, it is only necessary to attach the fixed rear uprights to the desired wall by means of the bolts 26, and to fasten the aprons 27 to the floor by means of bolts 87, the proper adjustments in the uprights 15 being effected with the aid of the bolts 26. The intermediate rows of uprights 16 may then be provided with the forwardly extending seat carrying beams 20 and may be interconnected by means of the scissors or lazytongs 23 after the tandem wheel units have been applied in an obvious manner, the upper ends of each of the uprights being slid on to the seat carrying beam of the adjacent rear upright and the front or lowermost upright and its associated seat carrying beam 21 may be assembled in like manner. Each of the rows of uprights 16 may then be adjusted to assure parallel vertical alignment by means of the set screw 79 which enables the uprights 16 to be swung about the respective pivots 77 thus assuring a straight and direct load upon the uprights when the assemblage is loaded and assuring maximum strength. The forwardly presented seat supporting beams may then be independently adjusted by means of anyone of the arrangements shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, so as to insure against binding during the sliding movement of the uprights in opening and closing operations, and in the event warpage should occur at any time the seat supporting beams may be readjusted to meet the necessary conditions in a convenient manner by manipulating the set screws 52, 53 or the set screws 56, 57, or 63, or 67, 68 of the modifications.

From the foregoing detailed description, it is believed apparent that we have provided an improved retractable bleacher assemblage which is of simple but sturdy and durable construction and which is exceedingly stable and flexible in its adaptations. All irregularities or inaccuracies may be compensated for on the job by merely adjusting either the angularity of the respective rows of uprights 16 or by adjusting the respective set carrying beams 20, 21 in a simple and expeditious manner with the aid of an ordinary screw driver or wrench. Obviously changing conditions may also be compensated for by simple adjustments with the aid of ordinary tools thus insuring maximum strength and direct vertical loading of the uprights 16, 17 at all times. Furthermore, any warping or distortion which may occur through use or wear may also be readily compensated for by adjustments in the angularity of the forwardly presented seat supporting beams relative to their respective upright supports. The improved units have enjoyed considerable commercial success during the short period of time in which they have been commercially available, and the fact that many of the parts are interchangeable likewise adds to the flexibility and adaptation of the assemblages. The manner in which the successive rows are interconnected for relative movement likewise aids in preventing binding and in aiding in the smooth operation of the device during opening and closing thereof, but as above indicated, the interconnecting mechanism indicated at 23 forms a part of the co-pending application hereinabove referred to.

It should, of course, be understood that it is not desired or intended to limit this invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of operation herein shown and described, since various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

We claim:

1. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for interconnecting the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented seat supporting beam carried by each of said upright supports, the upright supports of each of said rows being slidably cooperable with the forwardly presented beams of the next succeeding higher row, means for effecting independent adjustments in the angularity of each of said beams relative to it upright support, and means for interconnecting said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows.

2. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for interconnecting the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented seat supporting beam for each of said upright supports, means for pivotally connecting each of said beams to its respective upright supports, means on opposite sides of each pivotal connection for swinging each of said beams thereabout in a vertical plane to effect independent adjustments in the angularity thereof relative to its respective upright support, and means for interconnecting said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows.

3. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, a transversely extending member for interconnecting the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented seat supporting beam carried by each of said upright supports, ground engaging tandem wheel units pivotally secured to the transversely extending members of at least some of said rows of supports, means for effecting independent adjustments in the angularity of said uprights relative to its wheel units, and means for interconnecting said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows.

4. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, a transversely extending member for interconnecting the lower ends of the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented seat supporting beam carried by each of said upright supports near the upper ends thereof, the upright supports of each of said rows being slidably cooperable with the forwardly presented beams of the next succeeding row, ground engaging tandem wheel units mounted on horizontal pivots carried by said transversely extending members near at least some of said uprights, means for independently swinging each of said wheel units in a vertical plane about its pivot to vary the angularity thereof relative to its adjacent upright support, and means for interconnecting the transversely extending members of said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows.

5. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for interconnecting the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented angularly adjustable seat supporting beam carried by each of said upright supports, ground engaging tandem wheel units carried by at least some of said rows of supports, means for effecting independent adjustments in the angularity of said uprights relative to its respective wheel units, and means for interconnecting said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows.

6. A foldable seating assemblage comprising, successive transverse rows of upright supports of gradually decreasing heights, means for interconnecting the upright supports of each of said rows, a forwardly presented seat supporting beam pivotally secured to each of said upright supports, means for swinging each of said beams in a vertical plane about its pivot to effect independent adjustments in the angularity thereof relative to its respective upright support, the upright supports of each of said rows being slidably cooperable with the forwardly presented beam of the next succeeding higher row, ground engaging tandem wheel units carried by at least some of said rows of supports, said wheel units being positioned in staggered relationship to each other to permit passing, means for swinging said uprights to effect independent adjustments in the angularity thereof relative to its wheel unit, and means for interconnecting said successive rows of supports to permit relative movement thereof toward and away from the highest of said rows while maintaining parallelism thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 350,031 Bacon Sept. 28, 1886 363,483 Ramsey May 24, 1887 1,345,344 Blandford July 6, 1920 2,183,056 Albach et al. Dec. 12, 1939 2,205,624 Horn June 25, 1940 2,483,758 Douglas Oct. 4, 1949 2,706,835 Ullom Apr. 26, 1955 

